


Painting the Night Sky

by Cornerofmadness



Category: Prodigal Son (TV 2019)
Genre: F/M, Slow Romance, Stargazing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-17
Updated: 2020-08-17
Packaged: 2021-03-06 06:07:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,460
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25948585
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cornerofmadness/pseuds/Cornerofmadness
Summary: Malcolm has plans for an unusual date, something he’s wanted to share with someone for a long while and now seemed like the perfect time
Relationships: Malcolm Bright/Dani Powell
Comments: 15
Kudos: 40
Collections: Bite Sized Bits of Fic from 2020





	Painting the Night Sky

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Cozy_coffee](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cozy_coffee/gifts).



> **Disclaimer:** Not mine, Chris Fedak and Sam Sklaver owns it
> 
> **Notes:** written for cozy_coffee at comment_fic for the prompt. Any, any/any, Imagine Your OTP where Person A and Person B spending the night on the perfect hill for stargazing. It was funny. Last week I was watching the Perseid meteor shower thinking I really would have loved to share the experience with someone and then this prompt came up. I had to jump on it.

Halfway to Dutchess county, Malcolm wondered if he had gone a little bit crazy. Judging by the looks Dani kept shooting him from the passenger seat he might be right about that. He’d picked her up from the station house in his mother’s Bentley. It wasn’t really the car he wanted to drive but Gil’s newest muscle car was not going to be allowed anywhere near a member of the Whitly family. At least the Bentley was comfortable if not particularly sexy. Maybe it was for the best. He’d called ahead, spoke to those he needed to so no one panicked and called in a strange car parked where he planned on parking the car. A Bentley would fit the surroundings.

The first dubious expression Dani favored him with had been at the sight of him actually driving. She had made a not-unexpected wise crack when she slid into the car. She’d agreed to go for dinner and some fun afterwards with him. She seem intrigued when he had said they wouldn’t be getting back until very late. Maybe that had been the first dubious expression now that he thought about it or was it that he’d shown up in casual dress. Either way, she shot him several questioning looks as they wended their way upstate, leaving the city behind them. He did love it where they were going for all Gil called him a city boy, which okay he was but he enjoyed the country too even if camping trips were now spoiled forever.

“Bright, where in the hell are you taking me?” she asked finally.

“It’s a surprise. Trust me.”

“I wouldn’t have come if I didn’t. I just didn’t think you were kidnapping me and running away to Canada.” Dani grinned broadly.

“That can be the next date. We’re almost there,” he assured her, quadruple guessing himself. What if this was a dumb idea? What if she hated it? They would have driven for so many miles for nothing.

Out of the corner of his eye, in spite of the gathering twilight, Malcolm saw Dani’s shocked expression as they entered Hyde Park. She pressed a little closer to the door, staring out the passenger window at the nineteenth century mansions as they slid by. He pulled off the road onto a long drive. She turned those wide eyes on him but she didn’t ask where they were going again.

Malcolm stopped on the expansive drive in front of a house a bit further away from the road and a little less ostentatious than the Roosevelt and the Vanderbilt mansions, only just a little. He turned off the car and that’s when her expression turned completely bemused.

“What are we doing here? Is it some kind of exclusive restaurant?”

Malcolm shook his head. “No, I have dinner in the trunk.”

“Was part of the night to confuse me entirely?” She smiled, and then it faltered a little. “Wait, you can’t be…do you _own_ this place?” She stabbed a finger at the mansion.

“Not me but River View is the uninspired name of this estate. Technically this belongs to another part of my family at this point but they know I’m here. They’re in Rome at the moment. I don’t have keys, so you’ll have to forgive me for not giving you the grand tour. However, they do tours here most of the year if you really wanted to see inside.” Malcolm slipped out of the car and went to open the trunk.

Dani studied the Greco-Romanesque façade of this particular Milton Mansion. “This is amazing but I’m still not quite sure why we drove all this way to a house we can’t get into. I’m impressed enough with your mother’s place in the city.”

He shook his head, taking out a thermal bag and a blanket, which he put over his shoulder before he fetched the cooler. “That’s not why I brought us here.”

“I didn’t think it was. You’re pretty modest with your family wealth.” Dani took the thermal bag from him.

“Good. I always worry about that.” He meant it. He had spent every school year surrounded by the entitled and for the most part had grown to dislike them. He wasn’t perfect but he tried. “Come around back.”

Dani followed him to the expansive yard. He draped the blanket over the back of a porch chair and set down the picnic basket-cooler. Malcolm swept his arms out at the yard that sloped gently downhill to the Hudson River. He beamed at Dani. 

“Isn’t it great?”

“It’s a yard with a view I’ll give you that,” she replied not quite as impressed as he’d hoped.

Malcolm faltered for a moment, picturing a long drive back to the city with a very disappointed partner. He rallied. “Yes, and it’s the view I’m after. We can have dinner on the patio and then later, it’s the peak for the Perseids.”

Dani lifted an eyebrow. “What?”

“The Perseids, the yearly meteor shower.”

“You wanted to come here to see a meteor?”

Her incredulous tone set him back on his heels. He’d made an error or was he reading too much into it. It was a different sort of date, after all. Maybe his enthusiasm for the idea would be contagious. “We should be able to see bunches of shooting stars.” He took the bag back from her and led her out onto the grass. Malcolm pointed up. “Not a lot of light pollution, and we’ll have a fantastic view of them. I love stargazing. I wasn’t sure if you do or not. I thought maybe not. It’s not easy to do in the city.”

“I have never really gone star gazing. Did you bring a telescope too?”

He smiled at the hint of interest. “Not for this. We won’t need it but first, I promised you dinner.”

Malcolm sauntered back to the patio. “I have a shaved asparagus salad with mango and a grand Marnier fruit salad for starters. An apricot and prosciutto thin crust pizza in the thermal bag along with some curry chicken kebabs and a fig and honey ricotta crostata for dessert.”

“And I’m not sure I’ve had any of those except curry chicken and normal fruit salad.” Dani laughed. 

“I’ve seen you eat curry chicken when we’ve gone all in on Chinese so I know you’d like that. I’m not even sure I _can_ eat it but everything else is okay with my crabby stomach. I brought a couple bottles of water. I was going to bring wine but.” Malcolm shot her a sheepish expression. “I wish I could have had the keys to the house. I mean, I can make do in the bushes if I have to but you…”

“Yeah, I get the picture. I’m not squatting in the bushes. Also, what if there’s poison ivy down there? If you get it on your business, JT will _never_ let you forget it.” 

He snorted. “Or you or Gil or Mother. I know what it looks like but in the dark with just a light from the cell phone I’d rather not take my chances.”

“I think this sounds like fun. I can’t wait to taste everything and if I need a drink, I can always just sip your boozy fruit salad.”

“You can do that.” Malcolm took the china off the lid of his picnic basket like cooler and set them out and put the silverware and bottles next to them.

“I think this is the first picnic I’ve ever been too where we’re not eating off paper plates. I knew something was up when you came in cargo pants and a polo shirt.” Dani narrowed her eyes at him. “You don’t actually play polo do you?”

“I did in school. I wasn’t very good at it.” He didn’t really want to play. He didn’t mind riding the horse but dangling to the side and whacking a ball at the same time seemed like inviting trouble with his luck. He’d preferred squash but maybe that’s because Vijay had been enthusiastic about the sport and had hated polo.

“Somehow I’m not surprised, that you played, not that you didn’t do well. You usually do very well with most things I see you do, especially if it means getting into trouble. You get into more hot water than a soup bone as my grandmother would say.”

He laughed as she sat at the table. He set out the salads before taking his seat. “Do you want to wait on the chicken or shall I serve it alongside the salad?”

“Thermal bag or no, it’s not going to be that hot so let’s do it.” Dani grinned. “As I was saying, I knew something was up when you came in dress casual. I probably wouldn’t have guessed stargazing if you gave me twenty chances.”

“I wanted to see the Perseids. It’s been a while since I had a chance and I wanted to share it with someone. It’s just something that’s so big, so grand, that it needs to be share. I’m glad you agreed to come.” Malcolm wasn’t sure what he’d have done had she said no. He’d wanted to share it specifically with her. Sure, he and Gil had done the stargazing thing when he was a kid and that had been great but he thought it would make for such a romantic tableau. There was only one person he wanted to explore that idea with.

“Thanks for asking me. It’s different. I like that.”

He was different. He wondered if that’s what she meant but decided he’d accept it regardless. They made short work of the salads. The curry was a bit much for him so he left the kebabs to Dani. The sweetness of the apricot paired with the salty prosciutto, however, was a real treat and he ate enough of the small pizza squares that he might actually regret it later. Also, all fruit salads should be soaked in Grand Marnier’s orange brilliance. There was literally nothing left of that before they even made it to the fig and honey crostata.

Malcolm left Dani relaxing on the patio as he picked his way back to the car by the light of his phone and fetched the anti-mosquito devices. He hadn’t mentioned the bugs to her because there was no way of making lying in the grass waiting to be feasted on sound romantic. When he got back, she was already in the yard with the blanket. Dani waved him over.

“This looks like a great spot. We can see the river really well from here and no trees overhead to get in the way,” she called, trying to straighten the blanket.

Malcolm helped her. As he set up the anti-mosquito devices, she ran back for the bottled waters. They got comfortable on the blanket, and Dani clinked her glass bottle to his.

“Thanks for this, Bright. I mean it. Most guys never think outside the club when it comes to asking me out. This is nice even if I don’t see a shooting star.”

“I’m glad you’re excited.” Malcolm stretched out on the blanket, leaning back on one arm. “Do you know any of the constellations? Do you want to?”

“I’m pretty sure I can find the big Dipper but that’s about it.” Dani cocked her head. “Is there an app for that?”

“Yes, but I don’t need it for some of the major constellations,” he said, frowning slightly. He didn’t want Dani staring at her phone. He wanted to be the one to show her.

“ Tell me more.” Dani said

Warmed by the invite, Malcolm pointed out Ursa Minor, Draco and Cassiopeia, hyperaware of Dani lying next to him, her arms above her head, pillowing it. She listened to him, drinking it in and didn’t seem bored. He took that as a good sign. 

“What was that?” Dani jumped, yanking her hand out from under her head. She waved her arm frantically at something fluttering just above them.

He laughed. “A bat. She’s probably eating all the mosquitoes and no-see-ems that’ll be out.”

“If I get peed on by a bat….” Dani nudged his ribs.

“I am not to blame for what the wildlife does.”

She huffed at him, and they both fell silent staring up at the inky silk of the sky. Hints of deep gray moved across the horizon, clouds floating on the breeze. Stars twinkled. All around them, in their silence, natural noises asserted themselves. 

Dani turned onto her side, looking at him. “I thought the woods were supposed to be silent.”

He twisted on the blanket watching her. “Only people who haven’t been in the woods think that and this isn’t exactly the woods.”

“Close enough.”

“You’re hearing frog calls, night birds and a thousand insects. It’s when the countryside goes silent you need to worry.”

“Bright, if a bear pops out of that river I’m kicking you down and running for it.” She slapped his belly lightly.

“Thanks for nothing. I don’t think there are bear here.” Honestly, he didn’t know but it seemed not quite rural enough for that.

“The bats are enough.” Dani decided flopping onto her back.

“They won’t eat you at least.”

They quieted again and listened to the frogs singing along with the insects. Another good ten or fifteen minutes rolled by when Dani cried out, grabbing his hand. She flapped a hand wildly at the meteor that streaked by.

“Did you see it? Oh my god, I saw a shooting star.” She cried, giving his hand a squeeze. 

“And it was a good one!”

“So bright, no pun intended. Oh, that was beautiful. Aren’t you supposed to make a wish on a shooting star?”

“I think so. We’ll be able to make a lot of wishes tonight if we’re lucky,” Malcolm assured her. “Look there. See that faint squiggle?”

Dani lifted her head higher, watching it. “Yeah. Is that one?”

“Much further out than the one you saw but yes.”

Even more shooting stars flew by, painting the night sky, and their excitement ramped up with each one. Malcolm rolled up on his elbow staring down at Dani, entranced by the joy on her face. Slowly she became aware of his stare.

“The stars are in the sky, Bright.”

“One fell here.”

She pushed him back. “Are you really going to resort to cheesy one liners?”

“I panicked.” He laughed. “But I’m thrilled you’re enjoying this.”

“It’s beautiful.” Dani ran her hand along the line of his chin.

“So are you,” he whispered as she pulled him down into a kiss.

Malcolm wrapped his arms around her. The heavens had their own fireworks tonight, and he had his.


End file.
